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The group is being accompanied by SPD Member of the German Parliament Klaus Barthel.

It is the first time many members of the ver.di delegation have traveled to the US.

You can read a trip diary from the worker delegation here: http://www.weworkbettertogether.org/

“I didn’t know that the US system gives managers so many opportunities to constrain organizing efforts. It makes me really angry that employees are intimidated and harassed when they want to join a union. Companies like T-Mobile seem to use every possible tactic to prevent unionization,” said Conny, a ver.di member who works at T-Mobile retail outlet in Germany.

“The violation of workers rights at T-Mobile are violations of basic human rights,” said Ado Wilhelm, T-Mobile expert at German union ver.di. The anti-union campaign at T-Mobile threatens the economic livelihood of workers and their families, harms the image of the company and therefore poses a risk to the economic interests of Deutsche Telekom.

“Deutsche Telekom management in Germany is responsible for the ongoing violations of rights by US management and this has to stop,” Willhelm said.

Ver.di and the colleagues of the US sister union Communications Workers of America (CWA) “will not rest until this undemocratic charade is put to an end,” he added.

The German worker delegation arrived in Washington DC on Sunday and will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, and Dallas, Texas, before returning to Washington. During this trip, the delegation will have meetings with US union representatives, employees and representatives of the German Embassy. On Friday, February 24, there will be a reception hosted by the US union federation AFL-CIO with the planned participation of SPD General Secretary Andrea Nahles.

Ver.di and CWA are both affiliates of the UNI ICTS sector. UNI, ver.di, CWA and the International Trade Union Confederation have created the global “We Expect Better” campaign to demand Deutsche Telekom respect workers’ rights wherever it operates. You can find more info at: http://weexpectbetter.org/